Refrigeration apparatus



Get. 16, 1945. R. E. TOBEY REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed Oct. 2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR RAYMOND EjT'o saw.

BY W

WITNESSES: 4 MA 68.5% 4' N? ATTOR Y REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed Oct. 2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Flo.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR 6 211, A ,'RIAIYMOND E.Toe E.Y.

ATTOR Patented Oct. 16, 1945 s PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Raymond E. Tobey, Springfield, Masa, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 2, 1942, Serial No. 460,497

4 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and particularly to the evaporator or cooling element circuits for a high humidity type refrigerator.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved evaporator circuit for a high humidity refrigerator.

It is another object of my invention to decrease the resistance to the flow of refrigerant through the evaporating means of a high humidity refrigerator.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an improved evaporator circuit for the evaporaators in a high humidity refrigerator including the evaporator for cooling the high humidity compartment and the evaporator for freezing ice and desserts.

It is still another object of my invention to provide for equal refrigerant flow through a plurality of single-pass evaporators having vertically-spaced runs or coils, which evaporators are supplied with refrigerant from a single refrigerant-containing conduit.

It is still a further object of my invention to provide an improved evaporator circuit for a high humidity refrigerator wherein the evaporator cools the walls of the high humidity compartment, and is preferably supplied with refrigerant through a single capillary tube.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in accordance with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet, embodying a high humidity section and a low temperature section, to which my invention may be applied; and,

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the refrigerating system and inner shell or food liner of the refrigerator shown in Fig. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings for a detailed description of my invention, numeral ll designates generally a refrigerator cabinet having an outer shell l2 and an inner shell l3 defining a storage compartment 14 which is divided into a high humidity compartment l5 and a low humidity compartment I6 by a glass partition [1. A door l8 closes the food-storage compartment I l. The high humidity compartment I5 is divided into several sub-compartments I9, 20, 21, and 22, preferably by glass shelves 23, 24, and 25. The low humidity compartment I6 is divided by a vertical partition 40 into a low temperature compartment 42 and a higher temperature com-' partment 44. The low temperature compartment 42 is provided with an ice freezing evaporator 26 which freezes ice in trays 21 and maintains a. somewhat higher temperature in the remainder of the low humidity compartment I6.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, a refrigerating system is illustrated and comprises a motor-compressor unit 28 for compressing refrigerant gas which is condensed in an air-cooled condenser 29. Condensed refrigerant is conveyed through a capillary tube flow-regulating device 30 to a coupling 3|. The high humidity compartment I5 is preferably cooled by two single-pass coils 32 and 33 which are bent to form vertically-spaced runs and are in intimate contact with the upper side and rear exterior surfaces of the inner shell l3. Liquid refrigerant is conveyed from the coupling 3| to the coils 32 and 33 through conduits 34 and 35, respectively. A conduit 36 connects the outlets of both coils 32 and 33 with the ice freezing evaporator 26, which is also preferably a single-pass coil; however, multi-pass coils and flooded evaporators may be used. Another conduit 31 connects the outlet of the ice freezing coil 26 with the suction side of the motor-compressor unit 28, thus completing the refrigerant circuit. The runs of the coils 32 and 33 are formed so that one or more of the coils is in contact with the exterior surfaces of each sub-compartment I9, 20, 2|,

and 22.

By providing two coils 32 and 33 for cooling the exterior walls of the high humidity compartment IS, the resistance to the flow of refrigerant is materially decreased compared with a single coil. Furthermore, by arranging the coils with their inlets at the bottom, a head of refrigerant is present on the coupling 3| so that equal flow of refrigerant to each of the coils is insured. The evaporator 26 will be at a lower temperature than the evaporator 32, 33 because of the lower suction pressure which always prevails at the end of a long refrigerant conduit and which is caused by the frictional resistance of the walls of the conduit to the flow of refrigerant.

A conventional refrigerator temperature control generally indicated at 38 controls the supply of power from line L1, L2 to the motor-compressor unit 28. I have shown the control as being responsive to the temperature of the high humidity compartment l5 for cycling the motor-compressor unit. However, the temperature of the refrigerator may be controlled at other locations, if desired.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that \I have provided an improved high humidity refrigerating system and also have devised an evaporator circuit which materially reduces the resistance to refrigerant flow in comparison prior constructions.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claimsi I What I claim is:

1. In refrigeration apparatus, the combination of a refrigerator cabinet comprising an inner metallic shell having a portion forming some of the walls of a high-humidity refrigerated storage compartment, 9, refrigerating system including first and second refrigerant evaporating means, a refrigerant condensing means and a refrigerant circulating means, a freezing compartment in said cabinet, said first evaporating means comprising a plurality of single-pass refrigerant coils secured in heat-exchange relation with said portion of the inner shell, said second evaporating means being disposed in heat-exchange relation with said freezing compartment, a single capillary tube flow-restricting device between the condensing means and said first evaporating means, means for supplying refrigerant in parallel from said capillary tube flow-restricting device to each of said single-pass refrigerant coils, means for conducting the flow of refrigerant from said first evaporating means to said second evaporating means, and a conduit connecting said second evaporating means to said re frigerant-circulating means.

2. In refrigeration apparatus, the combination of a refrigerator cabinet comprising an inner metallic shell having a portion forming some of the walls of a high-humidity refrigerated storage compartment, a freezing compartment in said cabinet, a refrigerating system including refrigerant circulating means, refrigerant condenslng means, a refrigerant expansion device, and first and second evaporating means connected in a closed refrigerant circuit, said first evapcrating means comprising a pluralityof singlepass refrigerant passages connected in parallel and arranged in heat transfer relation to said portion of the inner metallic shell, said second evaporating means being disposed in heat transfer relation to said freezing compartment, said first and second evaporating means being connected in series with each other between said expansion device and said refrigerant circulating means.

3. In refrigeration apparatus, comprising a refrigerator cabinet having an inner metallic shell defining a storage compartment, and a refrigerant-condensing and circulating means, the combination of an evaporator comprising a plurality of single-pass refrigerant coils secured in heat exchange relation with said shell, each of said coils comprising a plurality of verticallyspaced runs, said coils having inlets at one level and outlets at another level lying above the level of the inlets, conducting means between said refrigerant-condensing means and said inlets, said conducting means including a single refrigerant flow-restricting device, and means connecting said outlets with said refrigerant condensing and circulating means.

4. In refrigeration apparatus, comprising a refrigerator cabinet having an inner metallic shell defining a storage compartment, and a refrigerant-condensing and circulating means, the combination of an evaporator comprising a plurality of single-pass refrigerant coils secured in heat-exchange relation with said shell, each of said coils comprising a plurality of verticallyspaced runs, said coils having inlets at one level and outlets at another level lying above the level of said inlets, conducting means between said refrigerant-condensing means and said inlets, said conducting means including a single refrig- 40 erant flow-restricting device, a second evapora- 

